Chapter 216 You Won't Take Care of Me in My Old Age Anymore
"Just dropping by to say goodbye," Eudora chuckled softly.
Katniss paused, turned off her phone, and looked up. "Where you headed, Miss Savoy?"
Eudora raised an eyebrow, looking a bit resigned. "Gotta head back to Velvet City. Travis and Ivy are on my case, and there's a mountain of work waiting for me. Can't keep stalling."
"Going back sounds like a good idea," Tristan said flatly, not showing any signs of wanting her to stay or feeling sad.
"Yeah, I won't stick around to cramp your style. Watching you two flaunt your love every day makes me wanna find someone to date," Eudora laughed, covering her mouth, but her eyes were bright and confident. "I'll put in a good word for you with Travis and Ivy when I get back."
Tristan's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of them, his face indifferent. "No need. I handle my own stuff."
"But if they agree, it'd be a win-win for everyone," Eudora said casually. "Don't worry, I'll just bring it up in passing. If they react strongly, I won't push it. I know my place in the Forbes family."
Even though Eudora was leaving, the conversation stayed surprisingly light and cheerful.
Except when Aaron came up, Eudora looked troubled. "Maybe it's 'cause we didn't grow up together, so there's no sibling bond. Didn't expect him to resent me so much. I'll leave him to you guys. When you get back to Velvet City, take him with you. I'll contact the school ahead of time."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Katniss said, speaking up for the first time during the meal.
Eudora left, catching a midnight flight back to Velvet City that same day.
Her departure didn't really change much for Katniss and Tristan, who kept up their routine of leaving early and coming back late.
Sometimes, if he finished early, he'd pick her up from the educational center. Occasionally, when they both got off work early, they'd take a walk or catch a movie together.
Their tightly clasped hands and the way they leaned on each other made them a sight to envy.
Saskia was envious too but couldn't help complaining, "You two are really inseparable."
"What do you know?" Katniss was naturally calm, and Tristan wasn't the outgoing type either. Two people like that were bound to have a pretty chill relationship. But if something did go wrong, fixing it would be tough.
After a while, Aaron and two others graduated from middle school. With no more tutoring for those three, Katniss found herself with more free time.
Sometimes, she'd tag along with Tristan to social events and help him out with work stuff.
Tristan didn't want her staying up late, so for those late-night gigs, he'd tell her to rest at home.
Every time he had a social event, he'd have a drink or two but always remembered to text or call her, telling her to go to bed first.
Five minutes after hanging up with Tristan, Katniss's phone rang again.
It was an unfamiliar number from Velvet City. She hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Hello, this is Katniss."
"Katniss, it's me!" Adelaide's warm voice came through. "It's too late. Am I disturbing your rest?"
Katniss instinctively sat up straight, smoothing her messy hair. "No, Mrs. Forbes, why are you still up so late?"
"Eudora just got back and had dinner with me before leaving. She said you and Tristan are doing great, and I couldn't sleep from the excitement." Adelaide's voice was filled with joy. "At this rate, will I be holding a great-grandchild soon?"
In the quiet room, with only a nightlight on, Adelaide's voice was especially clear, making Katniss's ears burn.
When she and Tristan returned to Nightfall City, Adelaide had mentioned this a few times on Facebook.
She had brushed it off, but now it seemed Adelaide wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted.
"Mrs. Forbes, let's wait a bit on that. After all, Tristan and I aren't married yet," Katniss said.
Adelaide's tone was noticeably less cheerful. "Is it just because you're not married?"
If that were the case, she could easily get them the documents they needed to get married.
"Not entirely. It's better to take things step by step. When we return to Velvet City, we plan to get married. Before that, I want to tell him that I'm the one he was marrying, and then…" Katniss had it all planned out, 'confess first, then face the consequences.'
Once Tristan's anger subsided, they could get married and have kids. That was the proper order.
"Don't!" Adelaide shivered and quickly said, "He cherishes you so much. He won't stay mad at you for long. But I'm different. I'm the one orchestrating this. If he gets angry, he might not look after me when I'm old."
"Can you just do me this favor and not mention it, please?" Adelaide's tone was almost pleading.
Katniss pinched the bridge of her nose. How could she go along with this?
Every time she saw how good Tristan was to her, she felt particularly uneasy. "It's not about mentioning it or not. When we get married and register, it will come out."
The process of registering for marriage was different from remarrying.
"Don't worry, I'll handle the registration for you two," Adelaide said confidently, taking on the responsibility.
With Adelaide saying this much, Katniss had no choice but to agree for now.
But her heart was in turmoil.
"When you two come back, you'll stay at the old house. I've already had a room prepared," Adelaide continued to ramble on about their return to Velvet City.
It took over half an hour before the call ended.
Katniss realized that their return to Velvet City was getting closer.
She thought about everything she would face when they got back and fell asleep in a daze.
She woke up when Tristan got into bed.
He had already showered, carrying the fresh scent of body wash mixed with a hint of smoke and alcohol.
The bed dipped beside her, and she instinctively turned and snuggled into his arms.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "Did I wake you?"
"I wasn't sleeping deeply anyway. I slept too much during the day," Katniss said with a touch of laziness.
Her long hair fell on his arm, tickling him.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up to kiss him on the lips. "How did the project go?"
"It's nearing the end. In another week, it won't be this busy," he said, his eyes narrowing a bit in the dimly lit room, the air thick with her perfume. "Once the high school admission notices are out, Daniel's family will head to Velvet City first."
Mentioning their return to Velvet City, Katniss slowly opened her eyes and looked up to meet his gaze in the darkness. "Tristan, if one day you find out I've been hiding something from you, lying to you, would you be mad at me?"
Moonlight spilled in, illuminating her face and her serious expression clearly.
Tristan squinted slightly. "Lying about what? Katniss, I'm very poor right now."
"It's something beyond my control, not about money," Katniss said impatiently, poking his chest.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, flipped her beneath him, and pressed her soft body against the mattress. She couldn’t suppress the soft moan that escaped her lips.
He lowered his head and captured her lips. "As long as you don't lie about your feelings, I'd give you my life."
This simple declaration, charged with unspoken desire and intensity, resonated deeply within her. Through his actions, he demonstrated that his trust and devotion were powerful enough to sweep away any past deceit.
Katniss's heart was filled to the brim, and she did her best to respond to him.
Half a month later, the high school admission notices came out.
Zaid missed getting into an excellent high school by a small margin, but the Owens family managed to get him into a top high school in Nightfall City.
Aaron successfully got into a top high school in Velvet City. And Donna also got into a top high school in Velvet City, making the Wilson family very happy.
In the evening, Daniel warmly invited everyone to a hotel dinner, partly to thank Katniss for tutoring Donna and partly because the Wilson family was leaving for Velvet City the next day.
The weather in Nightfall City was hot in early July. Katniss wore a light purple floral dress, her golden hair cascading down to her waist.
Her slender arm rested in Tristan's, who attended in casual attire, his black sportswear adding a touch of approachability.
The dazzling crystal chandelier light enveloped them.
Aaron walked behind them, holding the new phone Katniss had bought him, chatting with someone.
When they reached the private room, Aaron put his phone away and, at Katniss's signal, greeted everyone inside.
Then he went straight to sit next to Donna. Being of similar age, they had common topics, and both were particularly happy about getting into their desired high schools.
The Wilson couple repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Katniss. After a few rounds of drinks, they moved on to business matters.
"Although I'm in charge of this project, once you get to Velvet City, you should execute it under your name. Otherwise, my identity might not help you and could even cause trouble," Tristan advised Daniel about matters in Velvet City, analyzing the market there.
He also told Daniel who he could connect with and who to avoid.
Velvet City was, after all, where Tristan had previously stayed, and he knew it inside out. Daniel took note of everything.
Just as they were getting to the key points, the private room door suddenly opened, and Anna walked in briskly, scanning the room before heading straight to Katniss.
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